Canadian Auto Workers

Canadian auto workers have overwhelmingly given their union the go-ahead to call a strike at the Big Three auto makers, as contract talks that could affect the entire North American car industry head down to the wire. The Canadian Autoworkers Union, which represents about 46,000 workers with the Big Three auto makers, said 97% of union members at General Motors Corp. of Canada gave the union the mandate to call a strike, while the numbers were 95% at Ford Motor Co.

Air Canada has a message for its customers: Check in online and avoid checking bags. That's the word after the airline's call center agents, airport check-in workers and gate staff went on strike Tuesday after negotiations on a new contract at the Canadian airline fell apart. In an online statement, Air Canada says it plans to operate a full schedule even though thousands of workers represented by the Canadian Auto Workers union walked off the job. Air Canada says it has deployed 1,700 managers to help handle check-in and reservations in light of the strike.

Navistar International Corp. reached a settlement with the Canadian Auto Workers union, ending a strike at an Ontario truck factory where workers walked out a month and a half ago. Terms of the two-year agreement weren't disclosed. About 645 striking workers of CAW Local 127 will vote today, according to a statement by Navistar, the world's fourth-largest truck maker.

General Motors Corp. reached a three-year contract agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers union, averting a midnight strike, the union announced in Toronto. The union, which has 17,100 members at GM, already has new contracts with Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler unit. "This is a responsible agreement," union President Buzz Hargrove said. John Buttermore, GM's vice president of labor relations in North America, said the two sides "have a good agreement.

Canada's breakaway auto workers formally established their own union Friday and elected Robert White, the man who led them to independence, as the first president. The United Auto Workers of Canada, wrapping up their founding convention a day early, also adopted a policy statement calling for close fraternal ties with the Detroit-based United Auto Workers, the union they are leaving after 50 years.

The Canadian Auto Workers will negotiate first with Ford Motor Co. on a labor accord that will set a pattern for contract talks with General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler. The CAW chose Ford partly because the United Auto Workers union said it won't negotiate first with the world's No. 2 auto maker, CAW President Buzz Hargrove said. The CAW contract with Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler expires at midnight Sept. 21.

More Canadian Auto Workers Expected to Strike: About 4,600 more Canadian Auto Workers are expected to join the strike against General Motors of Canada, making further layoffs possible at GM plants on the U.S. side of the border. Workers at plants in the Ontario cities of London, Windsor and Woodstock are scheduled to join the more than 20,000 GM employees already on strike. GM announced no further layoffs Tuesday at U.S. plants.

Canadian Union, Ford Reach Pact: Auto workers voted 90% in favor of a tentative deal the Canadian Auto Workers union hammered out with Ford Motor Co. last week. The Canadian vote wraps up the union's latest round of contract negotiations with the Big Three auto makers. It has been more than 30 years since agreements with Chrysler Corp., GM and Ford have been reached in Canada without a strike. The deal at Ford was patterned after agreements reached this fall with Chrysler and GM.

Canadian workers for the Chrysler unit of DaimlerChrysler ratified a three-year contract that increases pay and promises a new plant in the Windsor, Canada, region. In a vote over the weekend, 4,904 workers voted in favor of the contract, with 568 opposing it, said Canadian Auto Workers union spokeswoman Jane Armstrong. Of production and trades workers, 90% voted in favor. About 12,500 workers were eligible to vote on the pact, Armstrong said.

Canadian auto workers have overwhelmingly given their union the go-ahead to call a strike at the Big Three auto makers, as contract talks that could affect the entire North American car industry head down to the wire. The Canadian Autoworkers Union, which represents about 46,000 workers with the Big Three auto makers, said 97% of union members at General Motors Corp. of Canada gave the union the mandate to call a strike, while the numbers were 95% at Ford Motor Co.

Navistar International Corp. reached a settlement with the Canadian Auto Workers union, ending a strike at an Ontario truck factory where workers walked out a month and a half ago. Terms of the two-year agreement weren't disclosed. About 645 striking workers of CAW Local 127 will vote today, according to a statement by Navistar, the world's fourth-largest truck maker.

DaimlerChrysler reached a tentative three-year labor contract agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers to avert a strike that could have disrupted the U.S. operations of the world's fifth-largest auto maker. On the other side of the border, the United Auto Workers set a strike deadline for Friday at No. 2 Ford Motor Co., the last of the three Detroit companies to complete a deal with the union.

The Canadian Auto Workers union threatened a strike at DaimlerChrysler at midnight Tuesday unless Canada's largest auto-parts supplier, Magna International Inc., recognizes the union at an Ontario plant. The CAW said most of the 550 workers at Magna's Integram-Windsor seating plant near Windsor, which makes seats for DaimlerChrysler minivans, have signed membership cards.

A strike by 80,000 U.S. and Canadian auto workers against Chrysler continued for a second day, as company and union bargainers in both countries were unable to agree on a range of unresolved issues. The United Auto Workers' demands for greater job security and limits on Chrysler's purchases of foreign parts appeared to be the major stumbling blocks in the U.S.

Negotiators with the Canadian Auto Workers union and Ford Motor Co. reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract, averting a possible strike. The contract calls for a raise of 4.5% a year with a one-time signing bonus of $678 (U.S.), CAW President Buzz Hargrove said. The average Canadian line worker at Ford earns a base wage of about $16 an hour and skilled workers earn $19. Similar workers in the U.S. earn $20.71 and $24.38 an hour, respectively.

The Canadian Auto Workers will negotiate first with Ford Motor Co. on a labor accord that will set a pattern for contract talks with General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler. The CAW chose Ford partly because the United Auto Workers union said it won't negotiate first with the world's No. 2 auto maker, CAW President Buzz Hargrove said. The CAW contract with Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler expires at midnight Sept. 21.